Secret Valentine:
by Gentlewolf
Summary: It's Valentines Day again at Gakuen Alice! I wonder how Tsubasa's day is going? After all, with all the girls trying to feed the guys "special chocolate," and poor Tsubasa only wants to receive chocolate from Misaki.


**Secret Valentine**

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**Disclaimer:** Gakuen Alice belongs to Tachibana Higuchi. I claim no rights to the characters or setting. Only the story idea for this fanfic.

This fanfic was written to be a Prize for _Wickedmeep_ in DeviantArt for winning _Best Character / Pairing Portrayal--Fanart category_ in the _GakuenAlice-Club's_ **Secret Santa Fanart/fiction Exchange.**

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A light, semi cool breeze rustled the branches of the tree above where Tsubasa sat, casting their shadows across his face. Tsubasa was perched high in the tree, leaning against it's trunk, watching the commotion on the ground below. A group of high school girls passed under him, giggling excitedly, each carrying a parcel of some sort. From one of the girl's arms hung a small picnic basket. Another girl carried a small gift bag while the third held a small plate piled with truffle-sized balls of chocolate wrapped under clear plastic wrap.

"I thought that I saw him run off in this direction," one of the girls spoke while the other two scanned their surroundings as if searching for someone. Tsubasa watched as they continued down the path until he was sure that they were out of sight.

"It's all clear, you can come out now," Tsubasa called to Sakurano, Subaru, and Tonouchi, who all hid behind separate trees within close proximity to him.

"Phew! Thanks a lot Tsubasa-kun," Tono-sempi sighed in relief when Tsubasa jumped from the branch, landing on the ground beside him.

"Sure, no problem," Tsubasa replied as one side of his mouth rose in a half smile. It was that time of year again. February 14th, Valentines Day. All of the girls around Gakuen Alice were on the prowl for the boys that they liked. Tsubasa shuddered at the thought. Valentines Day at Gakuen Alice wasn't like your typical Valentines Day. All of the girls liked to mix "special" ingredients into their Chocolate. Those ingredients usually caused horrible effects to anyone who ate them. Tsubasa remembered the previous year when Natsume had accidentally swallowed a piece of chocolate with the effect of showing attraction to the first thing he saw. Unfortunately it had been Tsubasa who was in front of Natsume. The News Club had a field day with that picture.

"We're going to split before anyone else finds us," Tono informed Tsubasa with a wave before turning to follow Sakurano and Subaru towards their dorm.

"Huh?" Tsubasa snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh, right, matane, later," he responded somewhat disjointedly and turned in the other direction to head towards his own dorm. His mind wandered as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and followed the path.

"TSUBABA SENPAI!" The high pitched, excited squeal of his name came nanoseconds before he felt his Kohai jump up on his back to ride piggy-back.

"Oi, Mikan!" Tsubasa exclaimed as he stumbled forward, managing to keep himself from falling forward.

"Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere!" Mikan explained. Wrapping her legs securely around his waist so that she wouldn't fall she produced a cellophane bag, with the kanji meaning 'Friendship' printed all over it, and tied with a blue ribbon. "Don't worry, I didn't add anything funny to it. It's just plain old chocolate." She explained cheerfully.

"Thanks, Mikan-chan. You didn't have to do that," Tsubasa said, accepting the bag with one hand and gently squeezing her arm that was wrapped around his shoulders. He looked down at the small gift with a slight smile. This would be the only chocolate that he would accept today. He had learned a couple of years ago not to trust any of the Valentine's Chocolate made by most of the girls here. Surely, it was okay to accept from his sweet little Kohai.

"What's wrong?" Mikan asked, sensing his mood. He almost seemed a bit depressed. Anxiously she slipped down from his back and rushed around him so that she could see his face. "Did you eat someone else's chocolate? Doushita no? Daijoubu? What happened, are you okay?" She worried that someone had given him chocolate that would make the person who ate it depressed. Why would someone do that though? It didn't make any sense.

Tsubasa blinked and stared down at her as though he was seeing her for the first time. He shook out of his thoughts again when she grabbed his empty hand and tugged on it anxiously. "Nan demo nai, it's nothing, daijoubu, I'm fine." He smiled down at her.

"Hontou? Really?" Mikan asked, glancing at him suspiciously.

"Hai, yes, daijoubu, I'm fine," he reassured her and ruffled the top of her head.

Mikan smiled sweetly and was immediately distracted when something behind him caught her eye. "Anou….Gomen, sorry Tsubasa Senpai, I'll see you later," she told him suddenly and skipped around him. "Ruka-pyon, Natsume, matte yo, Wait up!" She called cheerfully. Tsubasa turned to watch until she caught up to her friends before continuing on his way.

Tsubasa passed a couple on the path. He had seen them around the campus before, but didn't know them personally. They were one of the few couples that seemed content with the exchange of chocolate. Tsubasa wondered if perhaps he and Misaki would be the same if it weren't for that past event. Just like Natsume had accidentally ingested the chocolate last year that caused him to show great affection for the first person he saw, so too had the same situation occurred to him a few years ago. Except that he had shown affection towards another girl and Misaki had become angry. So angry that she refused to make him chocolate on Valentines Day.

Feeling the small cellophane bag in his pocket that Mikan had given to him he momentarily pondered trying his Kohai's chocolate until an unexpected commotion distracted him.

"Tsubasa-Kun!" Waved one of the girls from the middle school. He recalled seeing her around and thought that they might have had a class together, but he wasn't sure of her name. "There you are, Tsubasa-kun!" She huffed as she stopped in front of him, out of breath. She took a moment to breath in deeply and then bowed, presenting for him a small box wrapped in red and tied with a white ribbon. "Please accept this chocolate that I have made for you," she paused.

Tsubasa stared at her for a moment in horror, but quickly noted the sincerity in her voice and her struggle to say something else.

"I…I really like you a lot, Tsubasa-kun," she stammered in a shy quiet voice. Tsubasa barely heard her confession, though his breath caught and he was momentarily rendered speechless when the image of Misaki's face shot through his mind.

The girl remained bowed before him, holding out her gift for his acceptance. Tsubasa struggled with his conscious about how he would reject her. Misaki was the only girl from whom he wished to hear a confession. This girl wasn't like the others, who enjoyed tricking guys with their special chocolates only to see what sort of effect might occur when they were eaten. "Gomen nasai, I'm sorry….I can't accept your chocolate," he answered sporadically. "I…already have someone I like," he admitted.

"Oh… of course," the girl sputtered as she straightened and brought her hands back towards her body. "Harada-chan, ne? I…should have known. "Demo, but, …..hasn't she rejected you?"

Tsubasa cringed at her words and laughed nervously. "She just doesn't know we're meant to be together yet," he replied with one hand behind his head.

"Oh….I guess I should have known…..but you can't blame a girl for trying…" She spoke softly with her eyes averted to the ground. There was an awkward moment of silence. "I'm sorry to bother you," She said suddenly, spinning around on her heals to flee from the scene.

Hidden among the trees a figure that had been watching smiled.

With a small groan Tsubasa continued to walk more quickly down the path with the hope to avoid anyone else that he might hurt.

Once inside the dorm for the middle school students he let out a deep sigh of relief and moved quickly to his room. "Maybe I'll just ditch the rest of my classes today," he said to himself with the hopes of not having to deal with any more confrontations.

After climbing the stairs he continued down the hall towards him room. Not paying much attention to his surroundings, as he could find his room with his eyes closed, he nearly stepped on the small rectangular shaped package that was left on the floor in front of his door.

Tsubasa bent to pick up the package and inspected it for any clues about who had left it. After opening the door to his room and crossing the floor to his bed, he sat and stared at the package as if it might suddenly bite him. After swallowing back the knot that had formed in his throat he tore off the metallic red paper. He then lifted the lid of the box to reveal that it was empty, save for a note, which he picked up cautiously and slowly unfolded. Typed in the center of the paper was one sentence.

_If you want you're chocolate, then meet me in the Special Alice type Abilities room at 4:00._

Misaki? Tsubasa wondered as he re-read the sentence a few more times. Who else would want to meet him in the Special Alice type Abilities room? A quick glance at the clock told him that it was only 12:30. He would have to wait for 3 ½ hours before finding out. With a frustrated groan he fell back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He wondered what Misaki could be thinking. Was this another one of her jokes? She had been harping on him lately about needing a haircut.

Tsubasa raised the note above his head, blocking his view of the ceiling with it and read the typed message again. Though the note was anonymous and there wasn't any hand writing to suggest whom the note was actually from Tsubasa thought that it sounded like something Misaki would write. He swallowed hard under the belief that this must surely be a prank.

Letting his arms fall back to the bed with a plop he stared once again at the ceiling, though he wasn't actually looking at it. In his minds eye he was reviewing the many scenes he and Misaki had been together throughout the years. They were childhood friends, and while he would love for their relationship to be more, she didn't seem to feel the same. Not since that one Valentines Day, that is.

With a sigh of frustration Tsubasa flipped onto his stomach and glanced at the clock. It was only 12:40. He had another 3 hours and 20 minutes before finding out what this was all about. He was sure he would go crazy if he didn't find something to keep him busy. Pushing himself up off of his bed he decided to risk going to his afternoon classes.

Of course it would be too much to expect that his trip to class would be free from encounters. Just when he thought that he had made it and he was nearly at the school's entrance one of the guys from his class suddenly bumped into him after emerging from the Southern Woods.

"Go…gomen Tsubasa-kun," the boy stammered, glancing nervously over his shoulder. Tsubasa could hear the sound of people running through the woods in their direction, and he didn't have to guess that it was a group of girls. With a sigh of annoyance Tsubasa waited calmly for them to appear. His classmate panted for air behind him.

When a group of 3 girls emerged from the trees, Tsubasa used his Shadow Manipulation technique to make them freeze in place. "I'll take care of this, go on ahead to class," Tsubasa told his classmate without taking his eyes off of the three girls who whined in protest. Kneeling to the ground, Tsubasa began to scratch something into the shadowed dirt. When he was finished he rose to his feet and smiled mischievously at the trio. "If you'd be so kind as to give me a head start, ladies, I'll see you in class," he told them with a polite bow and turned to run towards the school.

The inscription on the ground read, "Hold," and would only last for roughly 5 minutes, until the sun moved just a little bit further across the sky to illuminate the shadowed area.

Hidden among the trees a figure that had been watching smiled.

Tsubasa let out a sigh of relief when he reached his classroom and plopped down into his seat. "Domo arigato, thanks a lot, Tsubasa-kun," his classmate was saying, grateful for Tsubasa's help to escape from the crazed girls. Tsubasa nodded in response and waved it off as though it were nothing. He couldn't wait until this day was over. It was truly the most bothersome day of the year. Well, maybe tied with White Day when the guys were expected to give something to the girl or girls from whom they received chocolate on Valentines Day, or to give something to the girl that they liked. Misaki never accepted anything from him on White Day, though.

His thoughts of Misaki caused him to absentmindedly glance towards her desk, only to find it empty. That's strange, he thought, and wondered where she could be. It wasn't like her to be late. She walked in just seconds before the start of class, and walked immediately to her seat, avoiding his inquiring eyes.

The afternoon classes were long and boring. Tsubasa usually sat with her arms folded behind his head, staring at the blackboard but never actually seeing it. Occasionally the teacher would tap him out of his daze to inquire about his empty page of notes. Tsubasa would distractedly jot down whatever broke through his thoughts.

"Perhaps all of the chocolate that you have received from your adoring admirers today has all gone to your head, Ando san," the teacher's voice broke through his thoughts a fourth time. Tsubasa's head shot up in surprise. "Do try to focus on the task at hand," the teacher instructed with a tap on Tsubasa's desk with the end of his pointing ruler.

Tsubasa glanced sheepishly around the room. Everyone was staring at him. The girl who had confessed to him earlier looked away quickly when their eyes met. His scan over the room ended at Mikaki. She was staring at him furiously. If looks could kill, he'd be six feet under. Suddenly he doubted that she was the one who had sent the anonymous invitation. With a rush of guilt, though he hadn't done anything wrong and had only accepted chocolate from Mikan, he quickly looked away from her and stared down at his notes.

The end of the school day came painstakingly slow. When the final bell for the day rang Tsubasa's head fell to the desk with relief, though it was short lived. The commotion began instantaneously as the girls of the class began to chatter and close in on their objects of desire, the guys who had successfully managed to avoid them that morning. The guys, most who had started to gather their notes and books early before the bell rang, were now rushing for the door. A few jumped over desks to avoid being trapped.

Tsubasa wasn't surprised when the three girls that he had trapped in the shadows during lunch surrounded his desk.

"Tsubasa-kun was a very bad boy, don't you think," one of the girls taunted in a sugary sweet tone of voice.

"How could you be so mean to three cute and innocent young woman who only want to share their chocolates, which were made with love from the generosity of their pure hearts," the second girl whined accusingly.

"I think that he should be made to accept our chocolates as an apology," The third girl spoke up cheerfully as if her idea was the best plan ever thought of in the history of mankind.

Tsubasa shrank away from each girl, which unfortunately meant that he was sliding off of his chair to hide under his desk.

"Don't be like that, Tsubasa-kun. It's your own fault. Now it's time to pay the consequences of your own actions," the third girl continued to say as the second girl reached to take hold of his arm.

"Yes, you have to make it up to us," The first girl agreed and reached down with the second girl to grab for him.

There was a sudden thud on the desk as if someone had slammed their books down on top of it. "He doesn't have to make ANYTHING up to you!" A familiar voice stated threateningly. "Why don't you go find the guy you were chasing earlier," The same voice said, coming from behind one of the girls. Suddenly the girl was pulled back away from the desk. "Yes, sorry girls, this one's taken. Go find your own." The voice said, coming from a third location behind one of the other girls.

Tsubasa had that voice memorized. Looking out from where he was trapped under the desk he could see 6 pair of legs, and knew that 3 of them belonged to the same person. Misaki was using her doppelganger alice, but why had she told them that he was taken? Tsubasa's mind clouded with confusion. Girls were so difficult to understand.

"We….we're sorry…Harada san," the girls stammered nearly in unison as they turned to flee from the classroom.

Misaki knelt down on her heals to Tsubasa's level. "Oi, can't you ever stay out of trouble on this day?" She chided disapprovingly.

Tsubasa laughed nerviously, "I thought you said that I wasn't popular," he replied innocently, reminding her of the time that she had accused him of talking as if he was popular on Valentines Day last year.

"Humph," Misaki huffed and stood to turn away from him. In actuality she was trying to hold her cool demeanor and also try to keep the flush in her cheeks hidden from his view.

Tsubasa crawled out from under his desk and stood. "Thanks for….uh….saving me…" He spoke awkwardly while brushing some dirt from his pants.

Misaki sighed and spun around without warning to face him. Tsubasa had just straightened up into a standing position. They stood, staring at one another in surprise. Tsubasa, because he hadn't expected her to turn back to him and Misaki because she had misjudged just how close they stood to one another. Misaki jumped back in surprise, tripping over the corner of the desk behind her. Before she could fall an arm wrapped around her waist and she found herself against Tsubasa's body.

Tsubasa had acted out of sheer reflex. It shouldn't have surprised Misaki to be so close to him. They always danced together at the festivals and dances. They were close childhood friends; she knew he wouldn't allow her to become hurt. The occasion was so rare in happening, however, that this sort of situation hadn't ever happened. Her heart thumped wildly as she found herself momentarily crushed against his chest while he made sure that her footing was steady. She could feel the heat in her cheeks and pushed against his chest as soon as she felt his hold loosen.

"H…how long are you going to hold me like that," She stammered as she pushed away from him and took a step back.

Tsubasa raised an eyebrow and watched her back away. She was acting really strange. It dumbfounded him. There was a long moment of silence between them as she started to fumble uncharacteristically with her hands and he attempted to make sense out of her actions. PMS maybe?

"You ruined it," Misaki spoke, barely audible. Tsubasa almost didn't realize that she had spoken.

"huh?" Tsubasa asked with a blink of confusion.

"You…. ruined the surprise," She said a little louder.

Tsubasa tilted his head and stared at her as if her hair had suddenly changed to purple. "What are you talking about?"

Misaki was digging through the bag that was slung over her shoulders and across her chest. Tsubasa watched her, trying to make sense of her strange mood. "Here," she said sharply and thrust a rectangular shaped box against his chest. It was wrapped with the same paper that the box, which was left in front of his dorm room door, had been wrapped in. "Here's your chocolate," she spoke bluntly and spun around on her heals to leave.

As the realization that Misaki was his "Secret Valentine" sank into his mind there was a small thud on the floor. Tsubasa dropped the box without a second thought and grabbed her wrist to pull her back against him. Before his mind could start to think about the possible consequences he brought his lips down roughly against hers.

Tsubasa expected that she would yank herself out of his grasp and slap him for being so bold, but after a couple of seconds when that didn't happen he started to pull away, surprised by his own actions.

Upon feeling the pressure of his kiss lesson against her lips Misaki raised her arms to wrap around his neck. Her fingers tangled into his hair as she pulled his face back towards hers to lengthen the kiss.


End file.
